Dr Thiago Maass Steiner (Thiago M. Steiner) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in the Neeson Laboratory and an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, affiliated with the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology. His research focuses on B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas and immunotherapies, including T-cell engagers (TCEs) and CAR T-cell therapies.

His work centres on understanding how distinct T-cell subsets, particularly CD4⁺ T cells, influence therapeutic responses to TCEs and on uncovering why some patients with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) fail to respond to these treatments. Thiago aims to define the immunological mechanisms underlying treatment resistance and to identify biomarkers that may support improved patient stratification. With TCEs demonstrating strong efficacy in early-line clinical trials, he is also examining how their increasing use may shape the performance and sequencing of later-line therapies, including CAR T-cell treatment.

Thiago is supported by a three-year Cancer Research Fellowship (Cancer Council Victoria and the Victorian Department of Health) and has received competitive funding from the CASS Foundation and Gilead Fellowships Australia. He has also secured collaborative industry funding from Roche.

He completed his PhD in Immunology at the Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, under the supervision of Professors William Heath and José Villadangos. His doctoral research established a molecular framework for a novel targeted vaccination strategy, identifying key cellular interactions and mechanisms that can be leveraged in the design of next-generation vaccines.

Thiago’s research has been recognised through several awards, including the Qiagen PhD Achievement Award and the CSL Seqirus Best PhD Oration Award (2022). He was also a finalist for the ASI New Investigator Award (2020).

In addition to his research, Thiago is an immunology lecturer at The University of Melbourne, where he teaches Principles of Immunology. He is also a consumer representative at Peter Mac, drawing on his lived experience as a cancer survivor to inform and strengthen patient-centred research and care.